Love, or Something, At First Sight
by Daniscats
Summary: The first time Liara's parents meet.


Lady Benezia T'Soni stood at the lectern in the large auditorium facing a crowd of perhaps 300 of the most influential and respected asari on all of Thessia. In addition to the assembled crowd, there were cameras broadcasting her words to millions, if not billions, of other asari throughout the Republics. The official vote for the proposals under discussion today were not for months or even years, but at least once a year, the most prominent asari, usually Matriarchs, got together in person to discuss the major topics and to try to gather support for or against each of the likely proposals. It was not a quick process.

Despite the auspicious audience, Benezia appeared perfectly at ease. She spoke clearly, confidently and eloquently without looking at her notes and without the slightest quiver. She used no stalling words.

"While I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say, I sympathize with the plight of the krogan people and I agree we should lend our scientific support to an effort at curing the genophage if the rest of the Council races agree, I think it would be unwise to give that support without their approval."

The majority of those in the audience seemed to agree but there were a few in the audience who slowly stood and moved to the microphones in the circular room to voice their own opinions. And then there was an asari who was not so slow. The woman stormed to one of the microphones and tapped it to see if it was on before speaking.

"So, in other words, we do nothing. We just let the suffering of an entire people continue and call it diplomacy? Is that what you're saying?"

Benezia was moving from the lectern when she realized that the question was not part of the general discussion but was directed specifically at her. She slowly turned her head and fixed her cool blue eyes on the woman at the microphone. It was a look that had made many opponents freeze and then quickly look away. Even many matriarchs, despite the fact that she was only a matron. Because she was not just any matron. She was Benezia T'Soni, descended from a long line of distinguished T'Sonis going back thousands and thousands of years. A line that went back to the days before space flight and back before the Democratic Revolutions to the days when Thessia was a feudalistic society, when a dozen wealthy Houses ruled the entire planet. Back to the days when House T'Soni was one of the three wealthiest and most powerful Houses of them all.

Since then, the T'Sonis retained their wealth and influence, if not their overt power. They were distinguished politicians and philosophers and religious leaders and scientists, sometimes all in one individual over the course of their long lives. Benezia was one of those individuals and though just 635 years old, she had already excelled in the areas of philosophy, religion and politics. Her words carried great weight and even though she was still a matron, she already had followers and acolytes.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe we have met", Benezia responded coolly. "And you are?"

"I am Matriarch Aethyta Megara and _you_ are?"

There were some hushed gasps in the crowd as well as some quickly stifled laughs.

Benezia smiled. She had faced far worst from political opponents over the years and she did not embarrass easily. "Perhaps you were not present when I introduced myself earlier. I am Lady Benezia T'Soni."

"Well, _your Ladyship_ , even though we are supposed to be a collection of democracies so I don't see how anyone is any more a lady than anyone else. What you are saying is that you support doing nothing regarding the krogan?"

"I believe I have made my position very clear, Matriarch Aethyta. I'm sure that we can provide you with a transcript if your comprehension is better through the written word."

There was more stifled, quiet laughter throughout the audience. Some of the matriarchs sat up a little straighter, hoping for a show.

"Nope. I understood perfectly. Millions upon millions of krogan babies die every year and you", Aethyta looked around and included the rest of the audience, "all of you, don't care because you are racists. If this involved even a fraction of that number of asari babies or even turian or salarian babies, not one of you would vote against giving all the scientific and financial support needed until a cure was found, diplomacy be damned."

Aethyta thought she saw just a flash of anger in the Matron's eyes before the facade fell in place once again. The normally reserved crowd became much louder. Benezia spoke to her directly, again in a perfectly calm voice.

"And you have evidence for this horrible accusation? The genophage is a complex situation with dozens of different factors that need to be considered. Sympathy, misplaced guilt and other negative emotions cannot be allowed to guide our actions least we create a solution that leads to even more suffering. I have personally made dozens of diplomatic trips to Tuchanka in an effort to aid the krogan people and to build bridges and to understand the problems there. May I ask where you get your... _expertise_?"

"I've fought with them, bled with them. I lived on Tuchanka for years. I can tell you that I know more about the krogans than any of you. Your diplomatic missions show you nothing because they wouldn't trust you anymore than they would trust a used skycar saleswoman. They know that you see them as little more than animals and that you don't see them as equals. You don't respect them and they don't respect you."

At this point, the noise in the auditorium became so loud that the VI moderators shut off the microphones and started blinking the lights, signaling a break in the discussion. It didn't happen often but it was not unheard of for debates to become heated. The automatic fail-safe was designed to trigger least a break in decorum occur. Aethyta angrily left the room.

* * *

It was many hours later when Benezia left the building for the evening. After the morning's excitement, the discussions had continued with several different issues being debated for several hours after the break. The rabble-rouser who had disrupted the discussion was nowhere to be seen through any of it. Her skycar was waiting for her in front of the building.

It had been a long, tiring day filled with low-grade verbal warfare and Benezia thought she might like some air. When an acolyte jumped out of the car to help her with her bags, Benezia gave them to her.

"Please take my bags to the house but I think I will walk home. It's a nice night and I could use the air."

The acolyte quickly placed the bags in the car and moved to join Benezia. Shiala was one of her newest and youngest acolytes but also one of her most eager and diligent. She smiled at her to take any bite out of her words.

"That's alright, Shiala. I think I should enjoy the walk alone."

"Are you sure, Lady Benezia? It is getting late."

Shiala was also one of her more security-minded assistants and had a tendency to worry needlessly.

"I am very sure. If we are not safe to walk the streets of our own City, then none of the things that we discussed today are of much importance."

"It did get a little...passionate today."

"I appreciate your concern but I will be fine. I will see you back at the house in less than an hour. And you are dismissed for the day. Enjoy your evening."

"And you as well, Lady Benezia."

Benezia was lost in her thoughts as she walked. Who was that woman who had come from nowhere to disrupt their meeting? No one had ever even heard of her before. And yet as soon as Benezia saw her, she had a feeling of familiarity. Like she had met the woman before. Maybe they had met at some point in the past? In 600 years, many people casually drifted in and out of one's orbit.

And to charge into their annual meeting like...like a krogan, how else to describe it, and call them all racists? What nerve. And how did she manage to live long enough to become a matriarch without the slightest bit of political acumen?

Still, Benezia could tell that she spoke with much passion about her subject. Benezia did not detect the slightest bit of insincerity in her words. She could not remember the last time she had felt that much passion about any of the proposals she championed or about much of anything else in her life. She used to be passionate about so many things. Of course, this Matriarch Aethyta must have ulterior motives. Everyone did. Perhaps she owned stock in one of the Bio-Medical corporations that would naturally stand to benefit if such a proposal passed?

Benezia was so deep in her thoughts that she did not hear the heavy footsteps until they were close behind her. Too close. She stopped and turned to see who might be following her. Two krogan. And they were staring right at her, obviously not just out for an evening stroll like herself. Krogan were not common on Thessia but there were some and they had the same right to view the debates and political meetings as all did on the planet. Luckily, they did not appear to be armed. Thank the Goddess for Thessia's strict gun control laws and for Armali's plentiful gun detection systems that enforced them.

Two unarmed krogan she could handle. She willed her biotics to manifest. Perhaps a show alone would dissuade them. She waited until they got closer so that she could see their faces before confronting them.

"Can I help you, gentlemen?"

"We don't like what you said about the krogan", one of them snarled.

"If you were present, you had the opportunity to voice any opinions you might have had on the matter or called in to voice them, if you were not."

Instead of responding, the two men came closer. Benezia was about to throw an attack when a figure sheathed in blue stepped in front of her facing the two men. The figure then walked up to the bigger of the two and enthusiastically slammed her forehead into his. The krogan staggered backwards while his friend looked on dumbfounded.

"Seriously, you are trying to convince the asari that the krogan aren't all mindless brutes and you decide to attack the Princess here to make your point? Did your mothers have any children who were actually born with a brain?"

Both krogan appeared furious, even more furious than krogan ordinarily look, but to Benezia's surprise they looked at each other, growled a little and then looked at Matriarch Aethyta without making a move against her.

"Get out of here, you pyjaks, before you get yourselves killed in a meaningless, honor-less death."

Again, to Benezia's surprise, both men turned and went back the way they came, their tails almost literally between their legs. Aethyta turned and looked at Benezia.

"Are you following me?" Benezia demanded. "Are those krogan with you?"

"You're welcome, Your Ladyship", Aethyta responded sarcastically.

"I didn't need your help. There were only two of them. I was never in any real danger and you haven't answered my questions."

"No and no. Well, kind of and no. I saw you leave. I saw the knuckleheads follow you so I followed too just to make sure that they didn't do anything stupid."

Aethyta looked at Benezia more closely. Even under street lights that tended to harm rather than help a person's appearance, she was undeniably beautiful. She looked like a million credits. Her dress likely didn't cost quite that much but Aethyta could tell that it probably cost more than she earned last month.

"That's...quite a coincidence. You just happened to see me leave and you just happened to notice the two complete strangers follow me."

"I didn't say that I wasn't waiting for you. I just said that I wasn't following you. And I wasn't. I was following them. At the very least, you could thank me for stopping them from hurting your expensive dress."

"As I said, I had the situation well under control. They would not have even been a challenge."

"I'll bet you've never even been in a fight in your life. You've always had servants and body guards. I bet you've never had to work a day in your life."

Aethyta thought she detected another flash of anger on the younger asari's face.

"You are wrong. With great wealth comes great responsibility. It is a duty I take very seriously."

"I bet you do. Too seriously. When was the last time you had any fun?"

"Life is not about fun."

"It can be. And it should be at least some of the time." Aethyta grinned at Benezia. "I know, you claim that you are this biotic powerhouse who defeats krogan with one well-manicured hand behind your back but can you prove it?"

"I'm sorry?"

"You apologize a lot for someone who never thinks she's wrong."

This seemed to anger Benezia again.

"You think you will embarrass me like you tried today. You might even believe that you scored a victory today but you're wrong again. By calling everyone a racist and making them feel like heartless monsters, you only hurt your cause."

Aethyta's expression became serious and she sighed.

"I know that. It didn't go as planned."

"If you know that then why did you say those things?"

Aethyta sighed again. "Yeah, well, I might have a bit of a temper."

Benezia laughed for the first time since they met. It was a full, unrestrained laugh full of warmth. A beautiful laugh, Aethyta thought.

"I never would have guessed. You hide it well."

At that, Aethyta also let out a little laugh.

"Come on, Lady Benezia. Let's see what you've got. I'll go first."

Aethyta pushed up the sleeves of her dress, squatted a little and hitched up her long dress before a biotic charge left her fingertips. A nearby parked skycar was lifted high up into the air, stories high, where it hovered for several seconds before it descended back towards the ground. It hit the ground a little heavy but not enough to damage the vehicle.

"How do you like that? Power _and_ control. Do you think you can do that with maybe that trash receptacle?"

Benezia let out a little pffft before she lifted the same vehicle even further above the ground and brought it back down so gently that it seemingly had no mass at all. She turned to Aethyta with a self-satisfied smile.

"Hah" Aethyta chuckled. "I guess you're not just a pretty face in a ten thousand credit dress, after all. You see, that was fun."

Benezia smiled back.

"I have many skills."

"I bet you do. How many degrees do you have?"

"Only seven."

"Figures."

"So, now that I've shown you that I could beat you in a fight..."

"I wouldn't say that. Your biotics are strong but there is a lot more to fighting than biotic skill."

Benezia continued, "are you going to tell me why you were waiting for me?"

"Sure. I know that I suck at this political shit. I think I also know something else about you. You actually give a shit. Unlike many of the old, selfish hags in that room today, I think you do care."

It was Benezia's turn to sigh. "I try to. It is difficult sometimes because you become so jaded and cynical. Everyone has so many different agendas and motivations, it's hard to stay focused on doing something just because you know it's the right thing to do."

Aethyta grabbed Benezia's hand gently. An electric current seemed to pass between them that had nothing to do with biotics or maybe it did. Aethyta looked into Benezia's eyes with a completely sincere expression on her face before releasing her hand.

"Well then, help me. Just because it's the right thing to do."


End file.
